Temptation
by BabyWard
Summary: Carlisle is 40, recently separated, and unhappy with his life. With help from some new friends and Bella, a much younger woman, he turns his attitude around and starts to enjoy his life. Pickapic entry 2012.


TEMPTATION

"Legends Bar is epic!" I heard Emmett saying from across the break-room, his tone suggested he was signing 'rock on' with his hands.

"Fuck yeah," Jasper replied.

They went on to describe their night. Foam and girls in short skirts, not something that seemed appealing. Emmett hooked up with a girl and Jasper struck out with the bartender. It was hard to believe they were almost 30 years old.

Almost a thousand dollars on drinks and out until three in the morning. I had no idea how they managed to come to work, I would have been hungover. There was also no way I could function properly on only four hours sleep. The energy drink industry was making a lot of money off these two, that was how they could be at work today; sugar, caffeine, and other poisons.

As soon as positions in bathroom cubicles were beginning to be discussed I turned to reprimand them. There was no need to share this sort of information, especially not at work. One of the women we worked with could walk in at any second.

As I opened my mouth I realized I was fighting a losing battle. They had been told before to keep it appropriate. But they were young and stupid and didn't think of others.

I shook my head. I found it hard to admit, but I was jealous. My Thursday night had been baked beans on toast and a made-for-TV movie before an early night in my single bed.

"What did you get up to last night, Carlisle?" Emmett said.

I looked up in surprise. He hadn't spoken to me much in the three years we had worked together. I had been a busy executive, with a busy home life when he started, I had no time to socialize with the new workers. He gave up inviting me out to staff drinks after a few weeks.

"Oh, nothing much," I replied, feigning indifference. "Just a couple of quiet ones." There was no way I was going to tell my sad tale of a single loser.

"Cool, cool," he replied, nodding his head. "You up to much tonight?"

Friday nights were the best night of my week. I got to look forward to two whole days with nothing to do, nothing to distract myself, nothing but me and my hand. Usually I got takeout, a different country each week, keeping my life exciting.

"No, I might save my energy for Saturday night. Bigger parties on Saturday night." I cringed internally at myself, I sounded like an idiot, trying too hard. These guys knew I wasn't cool, they knew I don't go out.

"Very true," Jasper said, nodding his head. "We are just going to have a few quiet ones at Temptation. You want to come?"

"Thanks, guys, I will think about it." There was no way I was going out with them, I would only bring them down, but I couldn't just say no.

"No problem. See you later."

They left the break room and I washed my lunch dishes.

The cloudy water in the sink was a representation of my life. A whole lot of grey, boring, nothingness, no future, but sliding down the drain, and a few floating bits of disappointment, lost dreams, and memories.

Three hours in my office, sitting at my desk, filing, stapling, and nursing paper cuts and there was a knock at the door. I looked up, expecting to see the boss walking in with more paperwork for me to kill myself over. Emmett leaned around the door.

"Have you decided about drinks at Temptation yet?"

I didn't expect him to follow up on his invitation, much less come all the way to my office to see me. I thought at five I would be leaving the building by myself, no goodbyes, no greetings of any kind from anyone, with a takeaway shop's address running through my head.

"Yeah," I said, unable to admit I had actually been thinking about Indian and Thai all afternoon.

"Awesome," he said. "Meet you there at nine."

He shut the door before I could explain that the yeah meant I had been thinking, not that I had decided to go. By the time I had shuffled my way between my desk and the wall and opened the door, he was gone. I quickly realized I didn't know which office was his, and I was not going to go exploring, I didn't want to run into my old colleagues, or my boss.

I got through one more pile of papers, and decided on Indian, in the last half an hour of the work day. When my clock finally said it was after five I logged onto the company internet, searched for an Indian takeaway on my way home, wrote down the address and escaped. No one said goodbye, no one even looked at me as I left.

Three hours later I heard my text tone. I hadn't heard it for so long it gave me a fright. With my heard beating fast I dug it out of my briefcase.

Carlisle. Change of plans. Meet you at Temptation at 10. Emmett

I starred at the message for a full five minutes, several questions running through my head, all of them confusing.

How did you get this number? I asked the simplest question first.

Dude, it's in the company docs, on the Staff list. Don't worry, your home number isn't listed. You are still safe from being invaded by your colleagues!

I had forgotten about the company documents, I hadn't needed to access them for over six months, ever since I was demoted. I wasn't even sure I could remember how to find anything in them, not that I was interested. My job was to sort papers and keep filing cabinets full, no use for a computer there.

I can't go out tonight, sorry. Have fun.

Those two sentences seemed to fit together like peaches and cream, I could guarantee they would have fun, especially because they were going out without me tagging along.

That sucks, dude. We were looking forward to having someone else join us, all the other guys at work are old and crusty. All they do is sit at home and watch TV.

The message from Emmett made me uncomfortable. I checked the window to see if I could see him peering in, almost sure I would see him leering at me through the dirty glass. But he had said 'all the other guys', like he was including me in his group. Like he saw me as a fun, party guy like himself. I laughed gently to myself, Emmett had no idea what sort of person I was, no idea that I was the definition, the leader, the CEO of the group of crusty old guys at work.

Okay, I will go, but can you tell me where Temptation is? I can't remember which one it is.

He text me back the address and a group of punctuation I assumed he had accidentally typed into his phone. Sometimes I forgot where the delete button was too, I decided to show him when we met up.

My wardrobe almost had me canceling again, it was so empty. I had work shirts, ties, and trousers, one jacket that I wore to work when I had meetings to go to, and sweatpants and t-shirts stuffed in the bottom. I had not been able to take any clothes when I was kicked out of my house. I had left with just the gym gear I had been wearing when I arrived home to changed locks and my briefcase sitting like an abandoned baby on the stoop of the orphanage. Since then I had put all my extra money into buying work clothes, that was all I needed in my new dish-water life.

After looking at every piece of clothing I owned, and creating quite a large pile that I would take to the laundromat, I finally settled on black trousers and a white long-sleeved shirt. That was the lesser of the evils, the others being dark blue shirt, wine-red shirt, or khaki trousers.

It took me forty minutes to find the bar, and a parking lot, which meant I was ten minutes early. I flattened my hair as best I could with saliva and hope and got out of my car.

I took a deep breath, readying myself for what was to come. Last time I had been out socially I went to a dinner party with three other couples and talked about work and family life. I was pretty sure there would be no dinner tables and chairs, or polite conversation about the European sovereign debt crisis. There probably wouldn't even be food, although I had sometimes heard about Jasper's love of after-drinking junk food.

"Yo," someone down the dark street yelled. I turned to face the person, ready for someone to jump me and demand my wallet and keys. The only thing that kept me from soiling my pants was the amusement I would feel when they realized I had less than fifty dollars, including all the money in my bank accounts and credit cards, and that the piece of shit I drove wouldn't guarantee them a ride to the next block.

Emmett and Jasper came striding out of the gloom.

"Carlisle, man. How's it going?"

"Not bad," I said. "Ready to party?" I sounded nervous and felt ready to vomit but they didn't pick up on that.

"Hell yeah!" Emmett said as he rubbed his hands together. "I'm going to get me some ass tonight, and Jas is going to strike out again and go home to Mrs Palmer."

"Fuck you, Em." Jasper punched Emmett in the guts then they both laughed hard.

"So what sort of woman floats your boat, Carlisle?" Emmett said as we started walking.

"Oh, um, I don't know," I stuttered. I hadn't ever thought about an answer to that question. There had only been one woman for me, up until recently, and before her there was nothing but pubescent lust after anything with boobs and a nice smile.

"Not fussy, eh, man?" Jasper said and punched my arm. "Any hole's a goal?"

They both laughed again, high-fiving each other, and whooping.

"Seriously though," Emmett said eventually. "What do you go for? Just so we don't step on any toes when we start fishing."

"I really don't know, I don't really go out to find someone."

Emmett put his arm out, stopping me in my tracks. "Hold up, man. When was the last time you got laid? And I don't mean the man-to-hand relationship."

I shook my head, unable to answer, unable to even remember how long it had been.

"Shit, dude. Was it your wife?" Emmett spoke in a quiet voice, suddenly very serious.

I nodded and avoided their looks.

"No problem, man. That answers the question. We are looking for someone the opposite of your wife. Easy."

I managed a small smile. "That will be easy, human and warm covers that one."

Both of them started laughing again, and this time the high-fives were for me.

"Right," Emmett said. "Untuck your shirt, and go get some."

Temptation was a stereotypical club. The majority of the room was a wooden-paneled dance floor, and the lighting was a mixture of laser lights and seizure-inducing light show. The music was so loud I got left behind and Emmett had to tug on my shirt to get my attention. The bouncer glared at me as I passed, seeming to disapprove. I was certain that if I hadn't been with Emmett and Jasper he would have stopped me from entering, and possibly told me to go home to my cat and have a nice cup of tea. As I walked through the door I turned back to hold it open for the person behind me and saw the cue for the first time. There was a line along the footpath that ended beyond where I could see. In it were a mixture of guys and girls, all of them dressed to impress, and most of them looking at their cell phones. At the front there were a group of girls with the shortest skirts and highest heels I had ever seen in public. They looked like they were auditioning for a porn film. I quickly looked away, still conditioned by years of marriage to avoid seeing anything that could be considered lewd.

I quickly caught up to Emmett and Jasper who were pushing their way to the bar. When they got there they leaned casually against it, looking like they had been there for hours. I stood out from the bar, the third point on the triangle, and tried to not look out of place.

Emmett yelled something to the bartender when it was his turn and handed over his credit card. A minute later seven shot glasses were lined up on the bar and a golden liquid was poured.

"Tequila," Emmett yelled over the music as he handed a shot to me.

"You don't waste your time," Jasper laughed in my ear after I had swallowed the liquid. I noticed him handing a salt shaker to Emmett and reaching for a slice of lime. It had been so long since I drank like this, I had forgotten what was protocol. They licked the salt off their hands, took their shots and sucked their limes together.

"Sorry," I yelled.

"Don't worry about it, here's another, you can lick-shoot-suck with us this time."

The salt shaker was passed around again, then the lime. I waited until they were ready, then got it right. I felt the warmth slowly growing inside me, I seemed to have a very low tolerance for alcohol, the months of loneliness and years of marriage impinging on my drinking practice.

"Watch this," Jasper yelled and gestured to Emmett.

Emmett walked up to a pretty blonde, carrying the left-over shot, the salt shaker and a slice of lime, and leaned into speak in her ear.

"He's telling her he accidentally got served an extra shot," Jasper explained. "He is going to offer it to her."

Emmett pulled away from the girl and smiled widely as she nodded. He fumbled with the shot as he tried to hand it to her while he held the salt and lime. With a quick duck of his head he had the lime in his teeth and held out the shot and salt. The girl cocked her eyebrow at him and he shrugged apologetically in return.

"Fucking smooth bastard," Jasper laughed.

The girl licked her hand, shook some salt on it and held the shot. Emmett stood still and tucked his hands behind his back. The girl realized what he was doing and shook her head, a small smile lifting the corner of her mouth. She thought what to do for a second, licked her hand, took the shot and leaned towards Emmett. Their mouths moulded together and his arms came round to hold her waist.

"And that's how he rolls," Jasper said while signaling to the bartender.

I watched in amusement as Emmett tried to suck the girl's face off, only able to look away as Jasper pushed a glass into my hand.

"Just a rum and coke," he said in explanation. "We might as well take advantage of Emmett's credit card while he is distracted."

"No," I said. "I can pay for drinks."

Jasper just waved me away and leaned back on the bar, scanning the room. I moved to join him, trying to mimic the laid-back, no cares in the world attitude, and failing miserably.

"So who is the bartender you like?" I asked.

"She works weeknights at Legends. She is fucking hot and I have been trying to get inside her for months. She keeps saying she sees no future, so there is no point. I'm almost ready to give up, even though I know she will be an awesome lay."

"That's no good. She's wrong about the future though, even if you can see a long and happy future, something might go wrong to cut that off suddenly. Like working long hours." I tipped my drink back, swallowing most of it in one go.

Jasper turned back to the bar and clapped a hand onto my shoulder. "Fuck man, you need to get plastered, and I need to join you." He waved to the bartender who took another drink order.

Emmett eventually made an appearance from who knows where, his shirt was wrinkled, his hair was sticking up all over the place, and there was a smudge of lipstick on his neck over a dark mark.

"There is some talent here tonight, boys," he said as he fell against the bar. "Fucking awesome." He ordered another shot and seemed to recover after drinking it.

"So, Carlisle, see anything you like?"

I shook my head, I hadn't even looked around properly, I was just trying to get used to the lights, sounds and the bar. I turned around so I could see the rest of the room.

There were bodies packed in tight from wall to wall. I struggled to look at it as anything but a fire hazard, how would we all get out safely if there was a fire? The bouncers were doing a poor job of keeping the numbers legal. I looked up at the light rigging and shuddered at the heavy light fixtures, hanging precariously above us.

"No girls up there," Emmett yelled at me. "Let's take a tour of the room."

I followed him as he pushed through the crowd at the bar, he seemed to know everyone, he was always greeting someone, and a lot of them were very pretty girls. Despite the need to push his way through, he seemed to keep his swagger, and I could see admiring looks from both girls and guys.

Surprisingly we found a clear patch of floor to stand in on the edge of the dance floor.

"You like blondes," I said to him as he scanned the crowd.

"Hell yeah, I'm the reason they have so much fun. How do you feel about dancing?"

I shrugged. The dancing I could see around me didn't seem hard. I had taken ballroom dancing lessons while I was married, but this dancing was all hips swaying and rubbing against someone. There was enough alcohol in my system to make me feel relaxed enough to try.

Emmett stepped out onto the wooden floor and scanned the dancers. He stepped towards a group of girls. As he walked forward one of them saw him and smiled. She turned away from him, and just as I thought Emmett would turn away, she looked back and smiled. He went straight up to her and stood behind her, their bodies touching gently. Her hips started swaying. He looked happy as her ass rubbed up against his crotch.

I didn't even realize I was standing still in the middle of the dance floor until someone wrapped their arms around my neck.

"Are you going to dance, or do I have to call the perv police?"

The girl was slurring badly, her breath, a mixture of mint and alcohol, washed over my face. I held her hips and pushed her away slightly, I was worried she couldn't stand up. We finally found a rhythm, both swaying to the beat, her hands on my shoulders, my hands on her hips.

Emmett caught my eye over her shoulder. He had a new necklace, the girl he was dancing with now had her arm bent backwards around his neck and she was undulating her body over his. He grinned and gave me a thumbs-up signal before slipping his hand up her top.

I looked at the girl I was dancing with. We were a foot apart and she had her eyes closed as she swayed her hips. I had a suspicion she was only dancing with me so she had something to hold onto, she was so drunk. She was the sort of girl who I remember would dance with a railing, or the bar, or a pole, back before pole-dancing was popular, to stay dancing all night.

I unhooked the girl from my shoulders and draped her over another girl. She didn't even notice as I backed away then turned to look for Jasper. I got back to the bar but he wasn't there, so I ordered a rum and coke and tried out the casual leaning again.

The crowd parted like the red sea for Moses and a beautiful girl walked towards me. I stared at her, unable to blink as I took her in.

Her red dress hung from her perfect round breasts, right down to the middle of her thighs. Her legs were long and ended in simple black high heels. Her skin was creamy white with just a hint of brown, a color I would love to taste. As she stepped up to me I forced my eyes to her face. Her mouth was moving but all I registered was the shiny pink of her lips and the white of her teeth. Her eyes were looking right at me, something I hadn't experienced from an attractive woman in a long time.

I shut my mouth and looked into my drink when I realized I was staring, and possibly drooling, at the poor girl. I looked up again and saw she was still looking at me, her forehead wrinkled slightly as if I was confusing her.

"I'm sorry, what?" I said. Through the haze her beauty had poured into my brain I remembered something being said.

"Excuse me, can I get to the bar? Please."

I looked at her for too long again before realizing she was in fact speaking English, and I did understand what she had said, and I was looking like an idiot because I still hadn't moved.

"Oh, uh, sure."

She moved past me, almost touching me, in the gap I had left by turning sideways. Someone bumped me from behind and suddenly I was pushing up against her. I put my spare hand on her hip to steady myself and watched my drink slosh precariously close to the lip of the glass.

"I'm sorry," I said when I noticed the girl looking at me. "I got bumped."

"It's fine," she said with a beautiful smile. I stared into her eyes, mesmerized. They were wide and brown, lined with black and long lashes. I could see myself reflected back and couldn't help feeling annoyed with myself for ruining her beauty.

I was still pressed up against her, even though the pressure from behind was gone. There was a different pressure keeping me against her. The warmth of her body called to me, and I felt my cock harden as I imagined laying down on top of her, and slipping into her.

I quickly took my hand off her hip, realizing there was no need for it to be there anymore, despite what my brain was screaming about leaving it, or moving it lower, and backed away slightly.

"I'm Carlisle." I held out my hand to her, my arm all crooked in the tight gap between us.

She took it gently and leaned in to my ear. "Nice to meet you, Carl. I'm Bella."

I smiled at her, unable to correct her now her perfume was surrounding me, stuffing up my thoughts with flowers. "Can I buy you a drink?"

"No, thank you. Sober driver." She held up her keys and shook them in my face.

"A coke then?" I was unable to take no for an answer, unable to let her leave me yet.

"Sure, two coke and raspberries. I was getting one for my friend."

I waved to the bartender, ordered and got my wallet out. I carefully pulled out a bill, trying to not let Bella see the lack of money and wealth of receipts inside.

She thanked me and kissed me gently on the cheek as she took the two drinks. I was so stunned from the contact I stood and watched her go, unable to tear my eyes away from her exposed back and tight, round cheeks.

"Aren't you going to go after her?"

I turned to see Jasper standing behind me, looking after Bella too.

"Uh, what, go, I don't know, um, what?"

"Go after her, man. She's on your line, go fishing."

I looked at him, trying to translate what he had said into normal English.

"Right, yes, going, now, after her," I said, finally understanding.

I pushed my way in the direction she had disappeared. I didn't get far before spotting her at a small table. She was facing me, leaning into talk in another girl's ear. Her face was half covered by the girl's hair but I could see her smile. I had no idea what to say to her. Could I walk up to her and say hi? Could I ask her to dance? Would I have to remind her who I was? Did she even notice me, not just the opportunity to get a free drink? What would I do if she wasn't interested? There was no way such a beautiful young woman would want someone like me. She would be better suited to Emmett or Jasper, someone good looking and fun. Not a recently separated old man whose best friend is the handyman of his apartment building.

I stayed where I was, unable to approach her, but also unable to walk away.

As I watched she pushed her hair back off her face, raking her fingers through the dark waves, leaving one strand hanging down over her breast, the end curling around where her nipple would be if she was naked.

After twenty minutes I had shuffled my way onto the outskirts of a group of couples, trying to blend into the crowd, not wanting to be seen as a perv staring at the beautiful girl. I desperately wanted to talk to her, I wanted to do more than talk. I needed to get some tips from Emmett about getting a girl, but I couldn't leave my seat, and not just because my cock was too hard to walk with.

A tall, obviously very drunk man approached Bella and her friend. I stood up straight, ready to intervene, not wanting some disgusting man near such a beauty. Before I could do anything another tall man joined them, clapping his hand on the man's shoulder. I was not going to risk taking on both of them so just had to hope the security would be on hand if she needed them.

The two men had a short conversation, full of smiles that seemed forced. The second man then looked at Bella and asked her a question. She shook her head and replied. Suddenly the first man had his arms forced behind his back and was being roughly escorted to the door by the second man. I breathed a sigh of relief, realizing Bella had been rescued.

Unfortunately I also realized that she must have had some sort of protection around her. The drunk had been intercepted and disposed of within minutes. No other girls were getting this treatment, if they had been, Emmett probably would have been kicked to the curb hours ago, and probably banned from the club years ago.

I walked casually away, unable to feel comfortable staring at a girl who probably had several protectors watching me, ready to pounce on me and take me out, just for looking.

Jasper was at the bar still when I got there.

"Carlisle, man, come over here," he called to me.

I walked up to him and he put out his hand. I took it and he pulled me into him, patting me on the back quite hard. He had been drinking heavily for the last half hour.

"Meet my friends," he said and introduced the people in the group around us.

"How did it go with the nice piece of ass?" Jasper asked, followed by a round of whooping from the group.

I just shook my head.

"Never mind, drink up, then find another one."

"I'm actually going to go home," I told him.

He didn't mind, and now that he was surrounded by his friends he wouldn't need me there to keep him company. I got another round of handshakes then pushed my way out of the club.

I carefully drove home, hoping I wasn't above the legal alcohol limit. Driving was a good distraction to my brain, and as soon as I got in the front door of the flat my mind was flooded with Bella. Images of her hair, lips, breasts, butt and legs moved across my memory, a sideshow of beauty that made my cock harden.

An envelope sitting on the floor at my feet interrupted the show. The A4 size and thickness, combined with the official printed logo of a law firm deflated me instantly.

I left it on the mat and went to bed. I tried to sleep but the envelope turned into a brass band vs heavy metal concert, keeping me awake.

At five I got up and went for a run, escaping from the disruption that was in that envelope, to my happy life. I almost tripped over my own feet as I realized what I had thought. I didn't have a happy life, I had been living in misery for months. I had driven my wife away, I had given up my job and taken on the boredom of paperwork filing, and I lived in a student flat designed for the biggest loser.

I ran back to the flat, my lungs burning and head pounding. The envelope was destroyed as I ripped into it, the papers inside were spared only because I wanted to see what they would say first.

Divorce papers. What I suspected was confirmed. The extra kick to my nuts was the little note in the cover letter about the custody issue, and how I was not expected to contest her bid for full custody.

My swearing resonated through the tiny flat, probably scaring the students either side of me. The papers flew out of my hand and exploded against the wall. The fire ball lifted me off my feet and pushed me backwards onto the bed. I watched as the wall blackened and the flames kissed the ceiling then shriveled the thin curtains. The smoke choked me and I blacked out as the windows imploded.

I woke later with the sun beaming in, fueling my headache. I looked around the room in surprise, there was no evidence of fire, or smoke, or even the hospital room and pearly gates I was expecting. There was, however, a pile of papers on the floor that had crumpled as they hit the wall.

With a big sigh I got up, got a drink of water and neatly stacked the papers on the coffee table to look at later. As I heated the leftover Indian for breakfast I heard my cell phone beep.

How's the hangover, dude? Jasper is coming to the gym with me, you keen?

Emmett was inviting me to socialize with him again. I was shocked, maybe I hadn't been the party-pooper I had felt like last night.

Sure, where is it?

I texted back, desperate to escape.

One hour later I was taking my anger out on a treadmill and then a punching bag.

"Wow, Carlisle, where's the anger coming from?"

I sagged and hugged the punching bag to hold myself up.

"I got some bad news today."

Emmett waited, not saying anything. I didn't want to tell him, but I needed to get it out.

"Esme sent me divorce papers."

"Shit, man, I'm sorry."

We stood in silence for a minute.

"She wants full custody."

"Fuck."

"Yeah."

Neither of us had much to say, and Emmett wasn't the sort of person for a heart-to-heart.

"What does your lawyer say?" he finally asked.

"I don't have one, can't afford one. Most of my wages go to child support and Emily's college fund bank account."

"Emily is your daughter?"

I nodded, signaling I wasn't able to talk about her right now.

After a quick shower I met Emmett and Jasper by the front desk.

"What are you doing tonight?" Jasper asked me.

"Nothing, drowning my sorrows." I smiled slightly, the workout had helped dampen down the burn of my anger.

"Drinking, excellent idea, you can do that at Emmett's place."

"Yeah," Emmett said. "Dinner and drinking at my place, I will invite some people over."

"Sounds good, want me to bring anything?"

"We aren't having a dinner party," Emmett scoffed. "Just bring cash for pizza and what ever bottle you want to dive into."

When I got to my car I sat for a few minutes. Emmett and Jasper were my friends, and they wanted to hang out with me. It had felt good to talk as well, even if it was the minimalistic chat between two men. From what I had seen of those two, I would be going to my first frat-style party since college tonight. I felt strangely excited, something I hadn't felt in a long time, and not something I thought I would feel about a party.

I followed Emmett's directions to his apartment; as soon as I walked through the front door I was overwhelmed with a deep depression about the place I was living. Emmett had a space screaming for a party, it was open-plan and had amazing views. He also had everything needed for a party, including a massive sound system and a bar.

I worked my way around the room towards the kitchen. A few people acknowledged me and I wished I had taken more notice of Jasper's friends at the club, so I could acknowledge them back.

As I put my bourbon on the counter in the kitchen, Jasper walked out of a door and saw me.

"Carlisle is here," he yelled way louder than he needed to. "Let's have a drink."

He seemed to have had a few already but I wasn't going to say anything. I was doing my best to be cool, young Carlisle, not the old dad I had turned into over the last few years.

I poured bourbon in the two glasses he put in front of me and we clinked them together before drinking.

I poured more and Jasper offered to give me a tour of the apartment.

"One drink per room, okay?"

I agreed, hoping there weren't too many rooms. I figured there would be a bedroom, bathroom, and maybe a spare room.

I was wrong. Behind the door he had appeared through was a hallway of doors.

"Hallway, drink up."

I finished my glass and he poured both of us another.

"Bathroom," he said opening the first door.

We drank.

"Toilet," he said knocking on the next door. Someone muttered something from inside. We drank.

"Spare bedroom," he said opening the door to a small room with a bed and nothing else in it. We drank.

"Laundry room," he said opening a door. I was impressed that Emmett had his own washing facilities, until I saw the empty room. "What a useless room, he does his laundry at his dad's place." I agreed then we drank.

"Emmett's room." He didn't open the door, and I could hear why. Over the sound of a rhythmical banging, someone sounded like they were about to come. "To Emmett," Jasper toasted as we clinked our refreshed drinks.

"To Emmett," I echoed and we drank.

"Emmett's sister's room," he said opening a door to a plain but obviously lived-in room. "She doesn't stay here very often, just when she fights with their dad, so every second night."

I was on the verge of making a comment about how sweet Emmett was to look after his sister when I was saved by Jasper's demand to drink.

When I had choked down the liquid he opened the last door.

"Thank fuck for that," Jasper said.

I agreed, the sight of a cupboard made me happier than it should, but I was just so happy to not drink anymore.

"Right, tour is done, let's get some food before everyone starts passing out."

I followed him to the main room. He climbed unsteadily onto a chair and grabbed my shoulder for balance. I stayed close, ready to support him if he happened to sway my way, although with the quick effects of the alcohol in my empty stomach I wasn't going to be much of a savior.

"Listen up," he called to the room. No one paid any attention. "Turn the fucking music off, Pete."

With the music turned off, and several curses and insults thrown across the room, there was silence.

"In Emmett's abst- absence..." There were jeers, and several vulgar comments about sex, and Jasper had to work to get them quiet again.

"Shut up, you lot. Ladies and genmal- gental- gents." Jasper was struggling to talk through the alcohol in his system. "Carlisle is here, we need food, put some money in the hat. I mean..." he looked around for something. "Hand."

He put his hands out and people started coming forward with bills. I collected some too and then counted them when Jasper was too intoxicated to add three fives.

Just as I finished the bell rang and the pizzas were delivered. Jasper handed me another drink in thanks for dealing with the money and watched me drink it before he would get something to eat.

With my brain feeling fuzzy and my stomach full of pizza I decided to relax. I was surrounded by people who knew about my divorce and were drunk enough to want to talk about it, give advice, and bad mouth Esme with me while serving me more alcohol. I felt like I was surrounded with people who could potentially be good friends to me, and I hadn't felt that way with anyone for a long time. I felt happy and I was having fun, the only thing missing was a woman and some sex.

"Carlisle," Jasper said as he flopped down on the couch next to me. "Meet Jake."

I turned to see a very large and familiar man sitting on my other side. "You were at Temptation," I said, peering into his face. I could feel that I was getting to close but it just felt right to study the man who rescues damsels in distress.

"Jake is the owner," Jasper said.

"Wow." I didn't have much to say, but I stated at him as I waited for a thought to burst through the alcohol fog.

"Did you have fun at my club?" Jake asked.

"Yes, except for the sleazy guys."

"Someone hit on you?" He misunderstood me completely.

"No, no, no, no, no. No one hit me." I lost track of what we were talking about.

"Mention me next time, and you will be allowed to create a bar tab, I will put your name on the list."

"That's what Emmett does," Jasper said. "And then they only charge him half price too. Fucking awesome."

"Gotta look after the family," Jacob said with a grin.

I looked at him closely. With his dark skin, eyes and hair he must have been at least part Native American. There was no way he and Emmett could be family.

The confusion must have shown on my face because both Jacob and Jasper started laughing. They kept laughing, their strange sense of humor fueled by the alcohol.

I muttered something about getting another drink and walked off, leaving them to their amusement.

As I passed the vibrating speaker of the sound system I realized I needed a break from all the noise, drinking, and people. I went through the door into the hallway and started opening doors to find somewhere quiet to sit. There were two girls kissing in the bathroom, the toilet door was locked, and I walked in on a heavy-petting session in the spare room. So far I had not seen or heard Emmett, so I assumed he was still occupied in his bedroom.

I tried Emmett's sisters room and found it blissfully empty and quiet. I shut the door and lay back on the bed.

As I stared around the walls I thought about my life. Until that moment I had been in denial about the state of my marriage. I had believed that it could be fixed, that Esme just had to calm down, she would call me, I would move back in, and we would be happy again. The angry heat generated by the divorce papers had finally solidified into a peaceful realization that things had changed. That realization brought an understanding of the past few months and the many things I had done wrong.

Our fight had started with unhappiness over the hours I spent at work. I had been doing sixty-hour weeks to keep up with my executive-level workload. That left no time for my family, and many nights I would get home after everyone was asleep, then leave before they woke up. I understood that we couldn't continue like that, and I thought I fixed it. But taking a lower ranking job in the same firm was not the fix, it was the thing that shattered the relationship. I was unhappy with my new job. Not only was it incredibly boring, it was a major demotion, and I was subsequently working for the people who had been working for me. I was able to go home at five every day but I carried my unhappiness home with me, and that made our lives very difficult.

The abstract painting on the bedroom wall I was staring at seemed to call to me with a shared understanding. The dark tone mirrored my unhappiness.

But under all the slashes of darkness were strong, bold lines. I used to be a strong person with a clear goal in my life, and I was determined to dig deep and find that person again.

I had a daughter that I loved, and I wanted to be her father, a big part of her life. I would not let Esme have full custody, there was going to be a fight on her hands if she didn't back down.

As I stared at the picture some more, centering myself, mentally preparing for the fight to come, the picture seemed to shift. Out of the seemingly haphazard lines came a portrait of a beautiful woman. I studied it some more. The eyes were the dominant feature, standing out from the rest of the darkness. I recognized the eyes, they were the same as the eyes I saw on Bella's face at the club.

I sat up, shook my head. The lying down was making the affects of the alcohol worse, I was feeling dizzy and ready to pass out.

Jasper was trying to set up a karaoke machine when I found him. He quickly gave up and I sat with him as we watched the party thrive around us.

"This a good party," he slurred. "I invited lots people. I hope Alice comes."

"Alice?" I asked.

"My girl at Legends."

"I hope she comes. But maybe you should stop drinking, just in case she does."

"Yeah," he said, agreeing, but only because he was probably too drunk to argue.

We both looked at the front door as it opened. Jasper sighed when he realized it wasn't Alice. I stopped breathing completely as I saw Bella walk in.

"Bella," I said to Jasper when I finally managed to restart my lungs. "Did you invite her? Who is she?"

"Dunno, never seen her before."

Over the sound of the music, and everyone talking I heard her name being called. Emmett went rushing after the sound, everyone getting out of his way as he walked across the room. He swept her up into a hug and she laughed and pushed him away.

As the crowd turned back to their conversations I was drawn to Bella.

"Hey, this is Carlisle," Emmett said as I approached. "Carlisle, this is my sister, Bella."

I held out my hand for her to shake. "Nice to see you."

"Again," she said with a smile as she took my hand. I held her hand gently and smiled back as time stood still. I felt the world split as I realized she remembered me, but I had missed an opportunity with her at Temptation because of my self doubt.

"Again?" Emmett asked.

"We met last night," she said.

"Carlisle was with me at Temptation last night," Emmett said, his face still creased with confusion.

"That's where we met? Carlisle, was it?"

I nodded dumbly, unable to contribute anything to the conversation as I stared at her, drinking in her features, hoping my cock wasn't too noticeable as it grew.

"What were you doing at Temptation?"

"I took Jessica."

"How the fuck did you get in?" Emmett was getting angry and loud.

"The bouncers know me, I've been a few times."

"What the hell?"

"She was fine," Jacob said, stepping in to defend her again. "I keep a close eye on her at all times, and the security have orders to eject any problems, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air style.

Emmett took a deep breath. "She is underage. She shouldn't be going to places like that. It's sleazy."

Jacob laughed. "Of all the guys I see in Temptation, the worst sleaze, the person who hooks up the most, the guy that any other club would ban, is standing in this group. And I can tell you now, despite his staring and obvious infatuation with Bella, it isn't Carlisle."

I was still reeling from the underage revelation, at which I had taken a step back and some time to blink. Jacob's joke had me standing with my hands up, embarrassed that he had read my thoughts, and worried that Emmett was about to punch me for looking at his little sister.

I returned to the couch and sat back down next to Jasper, who was slumped over, passed out. From there I watched as Emmett got worked up and Bella tried to calm him down. Eventually a blonde woman joined them and she was able to distract Emmett and drag him away to his bedroom. After the quarreling sibling show was over the party started winding down. There were offers for me to leave and go clubbing but I didn't have the energy.

As soon as the last person left I started cleaning up. I could have left, but as I was the reason for the party, I felt like I should help tidy the mess.

As I stacked the empty plastic cups Bella emerged from the hallway. After a quick look around the room she approached me.

"Hi, Carlisle. Sorry about before, I didn't mean to ruin the party."

"I think it was almost over," I said gesturing towards Jasper who was comatose on the couch.

"I didn't realize Emmett would care about me going to Temptation. He overreacted."

"I think he was just being a concerned older brother. He knows what happens in places like that and he doesn't want you to get hurt. And you are underage."

"Not you too."

We worked in silence for a minute, packing up pizza boxes.

"I'm not as young as you think," she said quietly as we stacked the cardboard by the door. "I wish I didn't come here, you must think I'm a little brat now."

I looked sideways at her, not understanding why she would say that, why would she want me to think she is older?

"No, I don't. Why are you here?"

"I had a fight with Dad. I come here when that happens. Emmett has a room for me."

"Yeah, I saw that. What did you fight about?"

"Nothing much," she said with a sigh. "I want to change my major, and he's trying to control me. But it's alright, I'm used to fights, we are both too stubborn."

I watched her as she talked. I still didn't know how old she was, but she seemed very mature and she was still incredibly beautiful. I had to remind myself she was out of my league. Too young, beautiful, and not interested in an old, divorcee.

"Why did you go to Temptation?" I asked.

"I go quite a lot. Jacob lets us in and is always close. My friend Jess loves it; she goes to hook up with guys, she likes one-night-stands."

I watched as her cheeks colored. She glanced up at me, and I looked away quickly.

"I go to support her," she continued. "I keep her safe, well, as safe as I can, I can't save her from herself. And I like to watch people, drunk people are funny."

"The drunken sleaze wasn't funny," I said quietly. "I hate to think what he could have done to you if Jacob hadn't gotten him kicked out."

"He was fine. He was just being friendly, and I could see Jacob watching. That could have been you."

My head snapped up and I looked at her. I had thought that too, that I was lucky I didn't get kicked out with all my staring, like a stalker.

She smirked when she saw my expression. "That not too subtle 'I got bumped' excuse. Jacob should have been on you in a second, his boot up your ass. Something must have stopped him. Maybe it was obvious I like you."

I stared at her, then stared at her some more. The twist of fear I had in my stomach turned into nervous tension as our eyes held each other's gazes.

"Well, um, I'm going to clean up the kitchen," I said, breaking the moment. I shouldn't think the things that ran through my head. I dumped the trash bag by the door and went to start the dishes. Bella joined me, picking up a towel.

"Emmett should be doing this," she said as I handed her a glass.

"It's fine, I don't mind. You don't have to help."

"I want to help. I owe you for the drink anyway."

I smiled at her and turned back to the sink. The fluffy white bubbles were reflecting the light in rainbows, and wafting lemon scent around me. I carefully cleaned each glass, admiring the shine and sparkle each one had when it emerged from the dish water. I must have still had some alcohol in my system, I had never enjoyed washing dishes before, or maybe it was the company.

There seemed to be a lot of glassware kept in the cupboard above the sink. I watched out of the corner of my eye as she stretched up, her shirt riding up, her flat stomach exposed. I sped up slightly so my arm would be extended out in front of her and shivered as her skin touched mine.

"Sorry," I breathed, as I raced to scrub the next glass in time to do it again.

As I gently bumped her stomach again it seemed as if she leant forward and lingered, like she wanted me to touch her.

"Oh, sorry, I got suds on you." I reached over to wipe them away as she lifted her shirt. I gently wiped my hand over her skin and listened to her quick intake of breath.

Before I could do anything else I forced myself to turn back to the sink, I was not going to give in to the cheap porno fantasy running through my head.

Of course I was unable to stop myself looking when she bent over to put the plates away, her jeans riding low on her hips and hugging the curve of her cheeks. I slowed the scrubbing down, I suddenly needed more time up against the cupboards, now having to hide a hard cock.

"Carlisle, I think we are finished. Come with me."

I turned away from the draining sink. She was standing halfway between me and the door to the bedrooms, waiting for me.

"I don't think this is a good idea," I said, looking around the room for an escape. My eyes quickly rebelled and found their way back to her.

"Don't think, just do as you're told, I know you want to."

She was right, I did want to, I wanted to do anything she told me. But I was a grown man, a man with morals, a man who didn't give in to every urge, a man who did the right thing. I was a married man with a child, not a teenager. I knew about consequences and repercussions.

I mentally slapped myself. I had been that man since I married Esme, since I was eighteen. Those values and actions led me to a life I didn't want, they had never given me an enjoyable life that I could be proud of.

"Fuck it," I muttered and followed the best looking ass I had ever seen.

She closed her bedroom door behind me and clicked the lock. Slowly she peeled her clothes off, smiling slightly. I just stood and stared, a role I had taken to and was good at, especially around her. Finally she stood in front of me, in just a black lace bra and g-string. She stepped forward and rubbed her palm over the front of my pants, firmly massaging my hard cock.

"Your turn," she whispered as she moved her hands across my stomach, pushing my shirt up.

I lifted my arms without any prompting or thought, my brain was preoccupied with what I could see standing in front of me. Goosebumps washed over my body as I watched her kneel on the floor to remove my trousers. I looked down at her as she looked at my cock. Her hand slowly reached for it, and she wrapped her fingers around it. Very gently she pumped her hand along it and I reached down to help, squeezing her fingers tighter, feeling the friction throughout my body.

"Shit," I breathed as I let go and she kept going, her hand pressure perfect.

I didn't even realize I had tipped my head back until I felt her mouth on me, and it snapped forward to see. Her lips were clenched tight and I could feel her tongue flicking along the underside of my cock.

I reached for her hair, buried my fingers in it, and sped up her rhythm slightly.

Once again I settled into my role as the watcher, staring as my cock disappeared into her over and over.

When she started shifting uncomfortably I gently took my cock out of her mouth and lifted her onto the bed. Her legs fell open, inviting me in, and I rushed to RSVP.

She moaned my name as I ran my finger along the g-string and I couldn't wait any longer. With a quick flick of my trousers I found my wallet. Inside, hidden in a pocket I hadn't expected to visit again was a condom. I rolled it on carefully as Bella watched me, her eyes wide and excited.

I knelt on the bed between her legs and moved her g-string to the side, exposing her glistening pink lips. Before I dived in I slid my finger along her again, between the folds, feeling the wetness waiting for me. Her back arched and a curse whispered from her.

"Are you ready?" I asked. I could see and feel the answer but I still had a niggling feeling of doubt about what I was doing.

"Yes," she said and grabbed my hand, pulling my wet finger to her lips.

As she sucked her juices of my finger I slowly pushed forwards into the warmth. The squeeze as I entered shot electricity through my groin. I leaned forward and bit her breast through her bra, doing everything I could to hold back the noises I felt an urge to make.

After a few seconds' recovery, and a quick pep-talk with my cock about not embarrassing us by coming too soon, I slowly pulled back.

Her moan as I sunk back into her had me not caring about how quick I came. I picked up her legs, draped them over my arms, and started a quick rhythm of long strokes.

I watched her face turn from wide-eyed wonder to heavy-lidded lust, then as her muscles started to tense around me she closed her eyes.

I stopped moving and waited for her eyes to open again. She took her time, slowing her breathing and pushing her hair off her sweaty forehead, before they opened again.

She looked up at me, a puzzled look on her face.

"Please don't close your eyes," I said in explanation.

"Okay, but you need to kiss me," she countered.

I leant forward and took her bottom lip into my mouth, nibbling gently. I kissed her hard, and as our mouths opened I started moving my hips again.

Before long our mouths were forced apart, the need for air greater than that connection. I sat back so I could see her body as I continued to thrust. The view was amazing but I was drawn to the sight of my cock, glistening, disappearing into her again and again.

With one hand I gently rubbed circles on her clit, extracting a long moan from her. I was gratified to see her eyes still open when my eyes finished traveling slowly over her landscape to her face.

"Come for me, Bella," I said, desperate to feel her quiver around me.

She opened her mouth to reply but the words were swallowed by a rush of air. Her knees straightened as her muscles all contracted at once. As her body relaxed I could feel myself close to the same result.

With our eyes still locked on each other I changed the angle of her legs, moving them up so I could get more of myself into her. With a few more long thrusts I could feel the waves of release chasing me, I took a deep breath as they swept me away, my cock twitching inside Bella.

I collapsed beside her and pulled her into my arms.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yes, thank you."

We lay together for a while. I listened to her breathing slow and felt her body relax against me.

"I need to go home," I whispered, worried she had fallen asleep.

"Okay." She got up and put on a dressing gown as I quickly got dressed.

She followed me in silence to the living room. Before I opened the front door I turned to face her. I tilted her face up and kissed her, gently caressing her tongue with mine. My arms wrapped around her waist and I held her body tightly.

"See you, beautiful," I said gently.

"Bye, Carlisle."

I kissed her again then opened the door to my new life. I was finally living the way I should be, my time spent having fun, enjoying things, and meeting great people. The smile on my face was the first genuine sign of happiness I had shown for a long time and I was determined to work hard to keep it there for the rest of my life.

* * *

Thank you to Stephanie O, my beta.

©(storyline) 2012 Abbyward


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